The Contemplation
 

I have recently been contemplating where what I do or have to say becomes futile, and this has given me a sense of the noise that fills places of discussion - such as a forum like this, for example.

I have recently discovered that although I have something highly relevant to say, it is often futile to do so, as things said are not necessarily heard. I have long had a saying 'the truth is in the listening', and I listen to the world around me - a habit I acquired during my years as a musician.

If a musician has an acoustic guitar he can play beautifully in the quiet of his own rooms, but when he takes to the city to busk, he can not be heard due to all the noise, so he uses an amplifier for the sake of volume, to the detriment of the timbre of the instrument.

I have seen a video in which a world class violinist artfully played a most difficult piece on one of the finest instruments ever made in a New York Subway. Only one or two people actually stopped to listen, but most bustled by completely unaware of the mastery before them. The artist earned about 40$ in coin in the hour he played there - which is pretty average for a busker.


In my years performing as a street musician I opened myself up to a lot of abuse. I would play a beautiful piece that takes some skill, like McLean's 'Vincent' or 'Classical Gas', and some yobbo would yell at me, 'you suck'. I played the same on stages and received ovations.

It doesn't matter if we call this a 'Buddhist section' any more that it does calling it a New York subway station a 'concert hall'. It's just that a world class violinist already knows that playing at a railway station only makes more noise.

I hear you.

Play classical gas - on your yt channel.

That'd be cool.

I can hear you now.

-peanut gallery

Most of the time we only listen to what we want to hear, but words are stored in the memory and can jump out and be listened to when the time is right.

I use Classical music but only choose to listen to pieces than I enjoy, music for me has to be felt inside, if I can't feel it then I only hear the noise.

So whatever you think is futile because you don't get a response and is only heard can become very important to the listener at another time.
I only wish I had listened to lessons from my Mum when younger instead of just hearing her words :smile:

You hear Gem but are you listening :D
I would loveeeee to listen to him play ' El Concerto De Aranjuez ' and I promise I wont just hear it.

In that piece nothing is verbally said, but the sound moves something beyond the ears. I don't know what the composer wrote it for or about, but I know the heart it came from.

He wrote it because he loved the sounds of the fountains in Aranjuez's gardens.
Yes you hear it, then you listen and then you feel it inside, it's beautiful.
BTW Rodrigo was blind from the age of three.

As I have mentioned before, I am hearing impaired so listening has become like a fine tuned instrument in me. A craft all of it's own. Focus and a deeper immersion to understand better, meant I have had to become more open to other senses over time to create a more detailed awareness of understanding as a my listening tool. I am also very conscious of others and now, in how they listen because I am aware of myself more expanded in this way. I am lucky in that I seem to have good friends and family who are good listeners. Maybe its because I give a more direct focus face to face, when I am listening, not to be invasive but simply because I trained myself early on to adapt to relating and understanding through a more subtle and inclusive awareness of others. Most try or if they can will respond in kind..

I think when you have mastered an instrument/craft of any kind, you develop a deeper appreciation for others who have or are doing the same. When someone showcases a gift or skill that you have a deeper awareness of it's ability and mastery, naturally you will pay attention, you will take notice, because you understand deeper what is involved in that mastery. I kind of look at this way, If two people only, stop and observe the mastery in creation of another and they truly get it and understand, pay attention and give time to that artist, then to me, that can be worth more than one hundred half interested and listening or disinterested and not caring at all people...

But in the context of spirituality it's different. If what someone is trying to be heard refers to a truth of some sort than as Sky123 said they will hear what they want or need to hear but only in the context of their own perceived spiritual path which in most cases as I see it is more relative to self help than it is to some common truth.
I think we can all agree that the fact that perceived truth changes for us over time that it is really self help that we are discovering.
The fact that everyone here has quite different views on what Buddhism is confirms that there is no underlying common truth in any religion to be heard by all.
So in my opinion folks are sharing what has helped them and for others it may not be relevant but still, to me, it's their song and it's beautiful.

I think we only listen to what we want to hear, I believe that words are stored in our memories and taken out and used when the time is right, I don't mean correct but relevent to whatever is happening at that moment.
I only listen when something touches me inside otherwise I just hear.